Wheel Spacers and Vibration in Steering Wheel

[Scott@Radar-Mirror.com]

I had a E60 M5 with 12mm and 10mm spacers and it was smooth as glass. Not so much this time with my F10. I've tried the 12's and 10's on the front and at about 90 mph the steering wheel starts vibrating like crazy. Take them off and it disappears. I hate the look without spacers but hate the vibration worse. My car has < 5k miles so I'd be really surprised if it was related to tire balancing, especially since it goes away without the spacers. If anyone has suggestions lmk, tia.

Scott

[HXS]

What brand of spacers are they?

I'd stay with reliable ones like H&R.

[MyF15+F85]

I deal with those problems almost every day, your case s yet another case...
First thing that you must check is the actual fitment of the spacers, it may sound silly but .... are they truly hubcentric ? 99% of the time the spacers are NOT fitting the hub perfectly snug which in return corresponds to a wheel which is mounted off center, and that will slowly kill your bearings, shocks and all of the suspension components.
Second thing that I see a lot of, is the spacer ( especially used one ) that is not cleaned properly before mounting it, anything that is attached ( dirt, rust, greese ) to the contact area of the spacer to hub and spacer to rims ( wheel ) WILL amount to what I call an ERROR which is an assembly out of round. That by default will shake da be'jesus out of ya ! Use common sense when assembling your wheels.
Thirdly, I have seen cheap ( not inexpensive I meant to write cheap ) lug bolts that are not machined properly and will not center or torque properly to the hub, I would amount the least amount of shaking to that , but .... nevertheless it is a problem since uneven torque could result in vibrations, and ultimately crack or warp the rim.
Fourth thing that could produce issues is the actual offset, bu pushing the wheels out even by a 12 mm you will change the geometry of your car and the alignment of your car will be affected, on older cars ( with looser suspension components ) could result in vibrations.
Hopefully that will shine some light in your case and help you some what.

Hopefully that will put you on the right track in finding your specific vibration problem.

[HXS]

Try to convert to extended studs. That may solve the problem also.

[Scott@Radar-Mirror.com]

Thanks for the replies. The spacers are Macht Schnell, though I've had similar issues in the past with other manufacturers. The spacers are hub-centric, if this helps they fit the hub like a tight glove but if I lay the spacers on the wheel I can get about a 1/4 mm of play back and forth. The 10's clink back and forth slightly, the 12's do the same and I pulled out a lightly used set of Rogue Engineering 15mm spacers I have and they also clinked back and forth when resting on top of the wheel - but again the fit on the hub is perfect. The spacers are brand new and the car as well so there's no dirt, debris or anything else in the way. I used the lugs that came with the spacers and they look fine to me. If anyone had a similar issue with one spacer brand and switched to another brand and solved the problem let me know.

[PhilT3]

I have MS 12mm spacers at all four corners. No vibrations for me.

Good luck bud. There's nothing worse than a vibrating car at high speeds. Which is the only place for an ///M...!

[Bönz]

Originally Posted by MineF10

Fourth thing that could produce issues is the actual offset, bu pushing the wheels out even by a 12 mm you will change the geometry of your car and the alignment of your car will be affected, on older cars ( with looser suspension components ) could result in vibrations

This is the problem with spacers. BMW works hard to set up these suspensions. The geometry is very specific. Pushing the wheels out to improve looks is not, IMO, a great idea.

A small amount for normal driving probably won't hurt, but I personally stay away.

[MyF15+F85]

[

but if I lay the spacers on the wheel I can get about a 1/4 mm of play back and forth. The 10's clink back and forth slightly, the 12's do the same and I pulled out a lightly used set of Rogue Engineering 15mm spacers I have and they also clinked back and forth when resting on top of the wheel [/U]


OK so here is your problem
As I recall there are two dimensions for BMW 74mm and 42.5mm.
Usually what happens the dealer will sell you the 74mm by doing that he is making sure that for sure it will fit the hub and the rim ( not centered but .. )
Our hubs are 72.5 mm therefore You must make sure that they are that inner and outer diameters are exactly that.
Hope that helps you somewhat